Wisconsin is one of the states that does not have a single central online state repository for searching historical newspapers. Several states use the Library of Congress Chronicling America site as their main central online site for searching old newspapers but currently Wisconsin has no newspapers available on that site. There are some free online newspapers available on other sites and their are collections available on subscription sites. Below is a list of where the titles are stored and the link so that you can access them.

​There are over 3,400 newspapers that have been published in the Badger State - certainly not all of them are searchable online. But there are quite a few that are indeed available. So go for it - find your Wisconsin ancestors and all the interesting articles that capture the stories of their lives.

Please note that I have not always entered the dates that are included in the collections, as I suspect they will change as more items are digitized. Also I suspect that some of these links may change over time - so if there is a dead link - please use your favorite search engine to find their new location.

(Recent changes in the Google News Archive has diminished the capability to search newspapers published prior to 1970). A few of these below are in the Google News Archive. Also some of these listed without dates have very few years included but are worth reviewing.

You also need to check out the Wisconsin Historical Societysite, which can tell you what is occurring in the state with regard to newspaper projects. If you are a Wisconsin state resident, check out Badger Link for newspaper resources as well.

Please note - even more may be available via a local library where a library card is required. And of course there is always microfilm for those that have not been made available online as yet.

Good luck and happy hunting!

For more links for different states, provinces, and countries - please see the Newspapers! page on this website.

"Newspaper Archive: There are currently 192 publications available at this site."

Try not to confuse the number of newspapers with the number of communities - there are over 900 publications for 192 Wisconsin communities at newspaperarchive.com. Example:
http://newspaperarchive.com/us/wisconsin/milwaukee/

Thank you for putting together this fantastic list, Kenneth! I've posted it on the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society's Facebook page and will add it to the Links section of our website (http://www.wsgs.org).

Reply

Kenneth R Marks

7/19/2014 05:12:47 am

Thank you Mary. Much appreciated!

Reply

Ken

6/22/2014 02:07:02 am

Will other newspapers from 1975 to the present be available online in the future? For example, the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh) currently has 1875-1975. will they eventually have 1976 to the present?